All About Health

The hospital-acquired infection is every patient’s — and every hospital administrator’s — nightmare.

According to a new study, the norovirus is the monster under the bed — and a few other places.

The pathogen that often causes food poisoning and GI distress was at the root of 18.2 percent of all infection outbreaks and 65 percent of ward closures in U.S. hospitals over a two-year span, reports the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Researchers surveyed members of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology who work in U.S. hospitals and wanted to know about investigations there in 2008 and 2009. The researchers wanted to know how often outbreaks were investigated, what triggered the investigation, the types of organisms responsible for outbreaks and what the hospital did to control an outbreak.

Earlier I wrote about Auntie Anne’s addition of the Apple Caramel Pretzel Stix to test markets, includingRochester. The pretzel stix is whole grain, but I wonder about the rest of the nutritional content. I emailed company representative Jason Belenke, who also apparently saw the original blog post.

Here is Jason’s response:

”After reading your recent article online on behalf of Auntie Anne’s, I wanted to reconnect and clarify our new product test announcement regarding the Apple Caramel Pretzel Stix. For starters, I wanted to express regret if I failed to clearly communicate myself in regard to the nutritional background of this test product. At Auntie Anne’s we firmly believe in transparency, so I wanted to make sure I sent you a proper follow-up.

Rochester is a test market for a new Auntie Anne’s pretzel – the whole grain Apple Caramel Pretzel Stix (their capitalization, not mine).

The product has 54 grams of whole grains and 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving. In a news release, the company portrayed whole grains as in demand (up 1995 percent since 2000) and as the key to solving America’s health crisis. Without citing sources, the release said that scientific evidence indicates whole grains can help combat diabetes, heart disease and cancer, not to mention maintaining body weight. Guess that would depend on how many you eat.

This latest one comes from HealthGrades, whose website said it is “America’s most trusted, independent source of physician information and hospital quality outcomes. HealthGrades’ online properties are the nation’s leading destination for physician search and empower more than 100 million consumers annually to make informed health care decisions.”

Patients can be quick to say they don’t like a doctor. What happens when the doctor can’t stand the patient?

You may not like waiting 30 minutes beyond your scheduled appointment, you may feel rushed or that the doctor interrupts and really doesn’t listen to you. If you get fed up enough, you can talk to the doctor or you can try to find a new one. Good luck, though, with shortages of physicians in some specialities.

Now, from the doc’s point of view. Things that really annoy and could get you fired are not following instructions with medications, ignoring advice or chronically blowing off appointments. Being verbally or physically abusive to the doctor of the staff will shorten your time in the practice. Some doctors won’t see families that refuse vaccines.

Steve Goldstein, CEO of Strong and Highland hospitals, turned raconteur Friday afternoon as the opening act for Courtney Burke, commissioner of the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.

Burke was supposed to begin a presentation at 2 p.m. about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget.

But she was delayed. Goldstein, ready to introduce her, was hanging out at the lectern in a conference room at the UR School of Medicine and Dentistry. Expecting things to get started, the audience got quiet. So he launched into some stand-up.

As I talk to mental health experts about the psychological effects of the Kodak bankruptcy on individuals and the community, I’m thinking about who and what we put our trust in, why some people and institutions deserve our faith, and what makes us think that even as fall follows summer and winter settles in, something may live forever.

Kodak is (was?) a symbol of stability, the experts say. Symbols offer security, and we feel vulnerable and uncertain when we lose them.

But the Kodak we knew before Jan. 19, 2012 (OK, before the turn of this century) has been gone for a long time. Maybe we knew that, but now finally are forced to admit it.

More people may talk about who’ll win the conference playoffs than what the latest moves are in health care.

Long after the Giants or Patriots have won or not, the results of health care policy will be front and center.

Just like fantasy league players would like to be in the huddle, health care geeks want to know what the power wonks are thinking.

Well, here’s a chance to get inside a few heads. The law firm Harris Beach just started New York Health Care Blog, billed as “a professional forum for health care industry leaders to exchange thoughts and ideas on the industry and the reform it is undergoing.”

The first considerable snowfall of the season may also be the first test of a local initiative to reduce potentially avoidable trips to the emergency room.

Excellus BlueCrossBlueShield sent out a news release Friday, no coincidence since it also was the first big day of winter, urging media to remind their audience that strained backs and sprained wrists can best be treated by the family doc.

“True emergencies belong in the ER,” Dr. Jamie Kerr, M.D., vice president and chief medical officer for utilization management for Excellus, said in the news release. “Shoveling is a strenuous activity that can lead to a heart attack. If you feel chest pain, shortness of breath, upper back pain or other signs of a heart attack, go to the ER.”

About this blog

Patti Singer

Health Reporter

Being healthy means that you’ll be in good shape if you get sick. That may sound odd, but think about it. We may not be able to prevent every illness, but if we can delay it, minimize it and recover quickly, we can get back to our lives. That’s the beauty of a healthy lifestyle – what I call wellness insurance.

I’m fascinated by how we define health and what we do to achieve and keep that physical, emotional and spiritual sense.

I used to be a sports writer. I joined the Democrat and Chronicle in 1985 to write about the Rochester Red Wings and wouldn’t trade that experience for an infinite number of first-round draft choices. I moved from sports to features in 1991, and wrote about personal health, travel and general topics. I joined the metro staff in July 2009 to focus on health.

I am certified as a personal trainer and I earned a master’s degree in education from The College at Brockport, where I teach an undergrad course in contemporary health issues and a grad course in health communication.